Basket for berries and the like



June 17, 1958 af-CRANE 2,839,214

BASKET FOR BERREs AND THE LIKE` Filed May 9. 1955 INVENToR. WAL-WH E. Cmme- Wwf@ United @d Wl Patented June 17, 1958 ticed top panel integrallyl and resiliently joined along its. edges with latticed side panels of the basket. These 2 839 214 latticed side panels are separated at the corners of the BASKET FR BERRES AND THE LIKE Walton B. Crane, South Pasadena, Calif., assigner to Allied Plastics Company, Los Angeles, lalif., a copartnership Application May 9, 1955, Serial N o. 596,997,

5 Claims. (Cl. 220-4) This invention relates generally to article carriers and more particularly to berry baskets.

Heretofore strawberries or the like have been packaged in open faced wooden or cardboard baskets. In order to prevent the spilling of berries from the baskets while presenting the berries to the view of the purchaser, it has been common practice to apply a transparent wrapping about the baskets. Such a wrapping, however, forms substantially an airtightV envelope about the basket and its contents and prohibits the free circulation of air therethrough as is .desirable to aid in the preservation of the berries. Moreoverthe prior baskets themselves had relatively solid side and bottom panels and greatly inhibited such, free circulation of air.

The costlof fabricating the baskets, especially those of wooden construction, was relatively high and the application of the transparent wrapping about the baskets further increased the packaging costs. Moreover, berries are often transported to a point of sale in large trays and,

in such cases the baskets are iilled and wrapped at the point of sale. Wrapping of the baskets is performed by hand and is a tedious and tirne consumingoperation.

Also to improve sales appeal, the berries generally ll the baskets to a point above the upper rims of the` of a berry basket for packaging strawberries, or the like,.

which avoids the aboveV mentioned and other deficiencies of existing berry baskets.

Another object of the` invention is the provision of a berry basket which permits relatively free circulation of air through the contents thereof while preventing I spilling of the berries therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of arberry basket which permits a substantial portion of its contents to be viewed by the purchaser and which is relatively inexpensive to irlannfacture.V

A further object of the invention is the provision of aberry basket which includes Va relatively rigid top panel wherebythe .berries will be retained in the basket and several baskets may be stacked onl top of one another without crushing of the berries.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a berry basket, as in the foregoing, a plurality of which may be conveniently and compactly stacked in their empty condition and readily and accurately lled at a point of sale.

These and other objects of the invention are attained generally by providing a berry basket of molded plastic `construction which is formed with a crown shaped, lat- While berryA baskets have.

basket and prior to lling of the latter,.are disposed in planes which diverge toward the bottom so as to permit stacking of the. baskets in their emptyA condition. Prior to filling of thebaskets, the side panels are urged together to bring them together at the corners of the basket, means being provided for retaining `the side panels in this condition. The basket is then inverted and lled through the open bottom to the plane of the lower edges of the` side panels whereupon a dat, latticed bottom panel is. assembled on the basket, the latter being disposed in an upright position for sale.

A clearer understanding Vof the invention as; well as-.a fuller appreciation of its objects and advantages may be had from the following detailed description taken in tcon.- junction with the annexed drawings, in which:

Fig., l is aY perspective view of the berry basket of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailV showing of theportion of the basket enclosed by thecircular arrows 2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view, in perspective, of the present basket in inverted position and prior to assembly of thebottom panel over the open bottomv of the basket, the latticed top panel being ,omitted for the sake of clarity; andv Fig; 5 is a ,view similar to Fig.V 4 showing the bottom panel being assembled on. the basket.

Referring now tothe drawings, the berry basket of` this invention is preferably of'molded plastic construction and comprises a crown-shaped top panel lll of. latticed construction so as to provide a plurality of openings therethrough, as shown. The center of 1 the top may present a solid disk, as at 12, for receiving advertising or the like.

integrally joined along theirv normally upper longitudinal edges to the edges of the top panel l@ are two pairs of opposed side panels i3 and 14 also of ribbed or latticed construction so as to provide openingstherethrough. Side panels 13 and 214v are separated at the' corners of the baskets and are sprung outwardly, as in'- dicated in phantom lines in Fig.l 3, so that the sides will be normally disposed in planes whichdiverge slightly toward the bottom of the basket. lt will be appreciated that this divergence of the side panels i3 and i4 permits one basket to be stacked inside of another for convenient and compact storage of the baskets in their empty condition.

The end edges of the respective side panels 13 and 14,

that is, the edges at the corners of the basket, converge toward the bottom of the latter so that when the sidesf 13 and 14 are sprung inwardly (e. g. from the phantom line position to the solid line position of Fig. 3) about their aforesaid upper longitudinaledges to bring their end edges together at the corners of the basket, the planesA of the side panels i3 and 14 will converge toward-the bottom of the basket, inV the fashion of a'conventional` berry basket, as shown more clearly in Fig. l.

Oppositeend edges of side panels f hooks areadaptedto be. engaged over lower, .longitudinally extending ribsA i6.. formed.. on side panels. 14,.` as.. clearly shown in` Fig. 2, sc that the side panels 13 andf 14 will be joined together at the corners of the basket' .are formedwit-h hooks15, extending inthe planes ofthe panels i3; These,

V'eeeitet ie in this inverted petition, it is fined with the desired berries to the plane of the normally lower longitudinal edges of the side panels 13 and 14 (which edges will be the upper longitudinal edges in the inverted condition of the basket). It will be seen that sinceV the basket is iilled only to a point where the berries are flush with the bottom rim of the basket, it is possible to accu- Yrately` judge when the basket is correctly iilled. This, as

vided a bottom panel 17 of latticed construction to y provide openings 18 therethrough and, along each edge of the panel, a pair of enlarged openings 19.

Formed along the normally lower longitudinal edges of each of the side panels 13 'and 14 (which will be the` upper longitudinal edges in the still inverted position of the basket) are a pair of hook shaped yelements 20 which project in the planes of the side panels. HooksY 20 are adapted to be received in enlarged openings 19 of the bottom panel 17 and to be engaged over peripheral ribs 21 deliningthe side edges of the bottom panel. The hook elements 20 are provided with inclinedY camming surfaces, as shown, to facilitate snapping of thebottom panel thereover. The basket may now be positioned in an upright position for sale, 'the weight of the contents of the basket tending to move side panels 12 and 13 outwardly so as to urge hooks 20 into tighterl engagement with peripheral ribs 21. The'openings in top 10, sides:

13 and 14, and bottom panel 17 p ide for the freeeirculation of air through the contents ofthe basket and also render the contents visible while preventingloss thereof from the basket. Since rthefgbasket is relatively rigid, several baskets may be stacked without damage to the contents.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a prising: a polygonal top panel, side Vpanels integrally and liexibly joined along their normally upper edgesto the side edges of the top panel, thev top panel being gene. erally dome-shaped so as to project above the upper` edges of the side panels whereby to permit thev basket to `be lled with berries to a level above said upperl edges and therebyaiord an overiilled appearance to the basket, the planes of the side panels diverging in a downward direction away from said dome-shaped top panel prior to filling of the basket whereby one basket` may be nested inside of another, the side panels being separated at the corners,` of the basket whereby said side panels may be sprung inwardly to bring adjacent'side panels together at said corners, means for retaining the side panels in said inwardly sprung positions, a separate bottom panel, and means for attaching said bottom panel to the normally lower edges of the side panels.

2. A basket for containing berries or the like comprising: a polygonal, top panel, side panels integrally and resiliently joined along their normally upper edges tothe side edges of the top panel, the top panel being generally dome-shaped so as toproject above the upper edges of the side panels whereby to permit the basket to be filled with berries to a level above said upper'edges and thereby aii'ord an over filled appearance to the basket, said side panels being disposed in planes which diverge toward the bottom of thebasket prior to llingv of the latter whereby one basket may be nested inside another, the

side panels being normally separated at the corners of.

the basket whereby said side panels may be sprung inwardly to bring adjacent side panels together at said corners, cooperating hook means carried by adjacent panels for retaining said side panels in theirV inwardly sprung positions to form a basket having an open bottom through which said basket is a'daptedeto` be lled when in Vinverted position, a separate bottom panel for closing said open bottom, and cooperating hook means on the bottom and side panels for securing said bottom panel to the normally lower edges of the side panels.

3. A basket for containing berries or the like comprising: a polygonal, top panel, side panels integrally and resiliently joined along their normally upper edgeslto the side edges of the top panel, the top panel being generally dome-shaped so as to project above the upper edges of the side panels'whereby to permit the basket to be lled with berries to a level above said upper edges and thereby afford an over lled appearance to the basket, saidv side panels'being disposed in planes diverging toward the bottom of the basket prior to lling of the latter whereby one basket may be nested inside of another, the side panels being normally separated at the corners of the basket, the edges of each side panel at said corners converging toward' the bottom of the basket whereby said side panels may be sprung inwardly to bring adjacent side panels together at said corners, means for retaining the side panels in theirV inwardly sprung positions to form a basket having an, open bottom and side panels which converge toward the bottom, the basket being adapted to be tlled through said open bottom, a separate bottom panel for closing said open bottom, and for attaching the bottom panelito theV lower edges of said side panels,

4. A basket according to claim 3 wherein at least some vof said panels have openings therethrough to permit the contents of the basket to be viewed and permit air 'to circulate through said contents. n ,6.

5. The subject matter of claim 3 kwherein said Ybasket is a molded plastic article and said panels areof latticed` construction to provide a plurality of openings. therethrough, said openings permitting the contents of the basket .to be lviewed and the 'ee circulation of air through said contents; e.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNrrED STATES PATENTS 497,205-, Pie .M'ay '9,1893 1,310,328 East July 15 1919 2,395,542 Eerden' Eeb.26, `1946 2,649,991 weeek Aug. 25, 1953 2,732,090 Katrin Jen. 24,7Y 1956 2,739,734 Pugh Mar. 27, 1956 FOREIGN 'PATENTS Y Y 486,367 Greet Britain JuneY 2,1937 

